close
In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror Audiobook, by Anthony D. Romero Play Audiobook Sample

In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror Audiobook

In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror Audiobook, by Anthony D. Romero Play Audiobook Sample
FlexPass™ Price: $12.95
$9.95 for new members!
(Includes UNLIMITED podcast listening)
  • Love your audiobook or we'll exchange it
  • No credits to manage, just big savings
  • Unlimited podcast listening
Add to Cart
$9.95/m - cancel anytime - 
learn more
OR
Regular Price: $16.99 Add to Cart
Read By: Michael Prichard Publisher: Tantor Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.00 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.75 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: June 2007 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781400174782

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

14

Longest Chapter Length:

42:54 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

02:49 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

32:40 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

1

Publisher Description

From Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, and award-winning journalist Dina Temple-Raston, In Defense of Our America takes a critical look at civil liberties in this country at a time when constitutional freedoms are in peril. Using the stories of real Americans on the frontlines of the fight for civil liberties, In Defense of Our America provides a look at the dangerous erosion of the Bill of Rights in the age of terror. Against the backdrop of post-9/11 America, readers are taken behind the scenes of some of the most important civil liberties cases in America. From the story of the "American Taliban" to the battle against the National Security Agency's warrantless spying program, In Defense of Our America tracks a roster of skirmishes in the larger fight for civil liberties in this country. It tracks an effort in Pennsylvania to force religion into the public school science curriculum and tells the story of South Dakota's attempts to place an outright ban on abortions in the state.

In a narrative that allows the characters to tell the story, In Defense of Our America offers the first inside look at the Lindh family as they saw their son and brother, John Walker Lindh, emerge as a symbol of America's battle against Islamic fundamentalism. It follows Joshua Dratel, a defense attorney at the center of many legal battles over the rights of individuals suspected of terrorism, and tells the story of a modern-day Scopes trial in Dover, Pennsylvania. The book tracks the case of Matthew Limon, a gay teenager sentenced to seventeen years for having consensual oral sex with a younger teenage boy in Kansas, and looks behind the reports of a broken judicial system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

In Defense of Our America chronicles the stories of an array of colorful characters to illustrate the state of play in today's fight for civil liberties, including Cecelia Fire Thunder, the Sioux president who wanted to open an abortion clinic on her South Dakota reservation, and high school science teacher Bertha Spahr, who defied a school board dominated by fundamentalist Christians by taking a stand against "intelligent design."

With unparalleled access to key players in some of the landmark tests of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, In Defense of Our America weaves together a compelling narrative that provides an unusually full look at the fight for civil liberties as Americans struggle to protect their rights and ensure their security.

Download and start listening now!

"I highly respect the ACLU. These stories of the cases that the organization has taken on make it clear that the fight to maintain our civil rights may never cease."

— Louise (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “This cautionary tale of humanitarian missteps and misdeeds makes for timely—and timeless—reading.”

    — Booklist (starred review)
  • Prichard keeps the listener engaged in a complex and detailed treatise.... His even-keeled delivery underscores the credibility of this substantive assessment of how America has succumbed to fear and tyranny from within.

    — AudioFile
  • “Prichard keeps the listener engaged in a complex and detailed treatise…His even-keeled delivery underscores the credibility of this substantive assessment of how America has succumbed to fear and tyranny from within.”

    — AudioFile

In Defense of Our America Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.5555555555555554 out of 53.5555555555555554 out of 53.5555555555555554 out of 53.5555555555555554 out of 53.5555555555555554 out of 5 (3.56)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 5
3 Stars: 4
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Some pretty incredible stories here. It made me realize that once I have the means to be a regular charity-giver, the ACLU must be high on my list. "

    — Jeremy, 11/1/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Totally riled me up and got me upset but learned about important issues everyone should know about. "

    — Iryll, 1/25/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Terrifying but hopeful. "

    — James, 1/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It's simple, really. Basic human rights. "

    — Nancy, 10/29/2012
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Good modern history of the ACLU. Amazing inside story of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban. "

    — David, 1/26/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Good modern history of the ACLU. Amazing inside story of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban. "

    — David, 6/27/2010
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Some pretty incredible stories here. It made me realize that once I have the means to be a regular charity-giver, the ACLU must be high on my list. "

    — Jeremy, 9/1/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Totally riled me up and got me upset but learned about important issues everyone should know about. "

    — Iryll, 7/12/2008
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It's simple, really. Basic human rights. "

    — Nancy, 10/15/2007

About the Authors

Anthony D. Romero is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation’s premier defender of liberty and individual freedom. An attorney with a history of public-interest activism, Romero was named one of Time magazine’s Twenty-five Most Influential Hispanics in America and has received dozens of public service awards and an honorary doctorate from the City University of New York School of Law. He is a member of the New York Bar Association and has sat on numerous nonprofit boards.

Dina Temple-Raston is the author of Justice on the Grass: Three Rwandan Journalists, Their Trial for War Crimes, and a Nation’s Quest for Redemption and A Death in Texas, which won a Barnes & Noble Discover Award. Currently a correspondent for NPR, she lives in New York City.

About Michael Prichard

Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.